Shock absorber and stabilizer



lover the rails.

Patented June 28, 1949 SHOCK ABSORBER AND STABILIZER chanc Do'lanQ -II, 013i heetah;

,, Application February 9, 1945, Serial No. 576,993

2 Claims. (elites- 1 4) My invention relates to shock absorbers and stabilizers for vehicles and has particular reference to elastic suspension systems in which a liquid and compressed air are employedforsup pressing shocks and for stabilizing vehicles and, more. particularly, railroadcars in their movement One of the main objects of ,my invention is to provide means to dampen or to absorb the vertical shocks caused by the unevenness of the rail, joiners and the rails themselves. I provide for this'puripose shock absorbers in the form of hydraulic cylinders with pistons, the liquid in the cylinders being under pressurefrom compressed airin a separate vessel, communicating with the hyv,draulic cylinder. The combination of hydraulic frictional or: viscous resistance with the elastic "resistanceofthe, compressed air affords a more elfective suppression of the shocks and improved riding qualities of the railroad cars and other vehicles. n

Another object of myinvention is to provide means to stabilize the railroad cars onthe curves -thereby making it possible for the cars to attain greater speed inpassing over the curves than it is possible with conventional types of suspension. At the same time, such stabilization affords a ,greater comfort to thepassengersQ Such a stabilizationon the curves is effected in my system by providing an air valve, controlled.

.by apendulum or by. a device similar to a bank indicator used on airplanes. v The air valve is so connected to the air cylinders of the shock absorbers as to increase the air pressure for the cylinder or cylinders at the side of the car which rides over the outer rails on a curve, thereby causing this side of the car to rise, The body of the car is thereby banked on the turns or inclined in a direction toward the center of the curve, thereby greatly increasing the stability of the car on the curves. The banking or inclination of. the car is automatically controlled bythebank indicator or pendulum being greater for higher speeds a J I My invention is more fully described in themcb'n' panying specification and] drawings j in" which e Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a railroad car showing the arrangement of my shock absorbers and stabilizers;

Fig. 1A is a fractional detail view of an air valve on an enlarged scale; 4 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view oi a railroad car chassis with my shock absorbers and stabilizers.

: Myshock absorber and stabilizer as shown in Figs. 1, 1 A and 2 consists of hydraulic cylinders I, mounted vertically on suitably formed depressed portions of frames 3, 4 of a car, truck or chassis ,5 for wheels 2. The cylinders are closed at both d t twert aviae a h w t a k 5a. ston. 9- h. p r I, n, alljshaped enlargements i0, rotatively, held; between lower and upper 10 lhalves i5, tilt-respectively.of bearings supported on the under side of arcuate beams l1, I8 concentric with theaxis ofu-otation of the end por- .tionof the car l9 on a vertical shaft extending from the central portion of the truck 5. The body of thecar isslidably supportedon the curved tracks; permitting a certain amount of rotationon the curvjes in' a horizontal plane.

The end portion of the car body is thereby'sup portedat all times on four hydraulic pistons 9, moving in the hydraulic cylinders l. Buffer springs 22, 23,are provided in the end portions of the cylinders f9r suppressing shocks when the piston moves all the way up or down in the cylinder. I The bottom of each cylinder is connected by a pipe 24. with the: bottom of a; corresponding oil and compressed air accumulator 25, the upper end of the accumulator being connected by a pipe 26 with ports 21, 28, 29, 3,0 of a casing 32 of a slide .valve 32. Two middl e ports 33, 34 are connected by a pipe 35 with a storage tank 36 for compressed air." "The tank is supplied with the compressed air through a pipe 3 l from an ordinary air compressor (notshown) provided for the air brakes. The slide valve 32 is provided with two connecting ducts 38, 39 and open ports 40, 4|. The

slide valve is pivotally connected with the ball shaped upper end 142. ofa; pendulum 43, pivotally supported at 44-andprovided with a weight 45 atthe lower end. m H g The-pendulum is deflected by inertia, particu arly when the car; is rounding a curve on rails 2|. Asshown'in Fig. 1; if the car moves to the left on a curve, the;pendul mgisrdefiected by inertia to the right. As a result, the upper'end of the pendulum shifts the valve 32'. to be; moved to the left, causing the valve 'toj establish; asconnection "between the upper portionpfsthe ileftair cylinder or accumu lator and the outside air by the duct 2! registering with the open port 40, thereby releasing the air pressure in the left accumulator 25. At the same time, the compressed air supply pipe will be connected by a duct 39 with the duct 30, leading to the upper portion of the right accumulator 25, thereby applying the air presure to the upper portion of the accumulator and to a floating piston 48, driving the oil 49 from the accumulator through the pipe 24 to the bottom of the right cylinder 25. As a result, the right side of the car will be raised as shown, giving the car the proper banking inclination to overcome the centrifugal force, which otherwise would tend to turn the car over to the right, i. e. in the direction of the centrifugal force. A pressure equalizing pipe 31 connectsthe upper portions .of the cylinders I for allowing-the air to be moved from one cylinder to the other. Such a banking position of the car also tends to distribute the pressure on the wheels more evenly, making it possible to run the car at a higher speed on the curves, with greater safety and comfort for thepassengers, as Well as with reduced wear on'the outer rails on the curves.

The stabilizing cylinders I also function as shock absorbers, damping the shocks transmitted to the body from the wheels through the medium of a viscous liquid lfi in'the cylinders, the

shocks being further cushioned by" the application of the compressed air to the liquid. The

floating pistons la-prevent splashing of the liquid and formation of an'air emulsion. The size of 1-;

the cylinders is-preferably-so selected that with a given air pressure per square inchfthe pistons should exert a lifting forceonthe sides of the car, exceeding-their static weight. The load of the body may be distributed on several cylinders along each side 'of the'chassis.

Shoulders on the post 20, "engaging the edges of a body'flooril, limit the upward movement of the bodyl9.

The swaying movement of the car on the curves and when caused byirregularities-of the track is further dampened by the provision of "angularly positioned-shock absorbers'consisting of hydraulic cylinderstz, -53, pivotallyattached at, 55

to the sides of the car body l9. -Pl11n;gers 5B, '51 are slidably fittedin'the cylinders and are connected to the outer-endsof rods 58, 59, the other ends of the rods-being connected "to-forks 60, '61 pivotally connected to 'a central post .20 at 63 at a point above thecenterof-lateral'rotation of the body IS. The pistons are hollow inside 'and are in communication with'the:spaoe inthe cylinders by ports 64, fif forallowing the oil 62 to flow back and=forth in-the cylinderspast the pistons when thepistons'aremoved by'the swayin of the car body. The hydraulic shock absorbers stabilize such swaying movements in a mannersimilar to the stabilization-of the airplane when landingon-its-wheels whenthe wheels are provided with hydraulic "shock absorbers.

My hydraulic shock absorbers-are also applicable to thedam'ping-oi the longitudinal shocks "as may be caused by sudden'starting'ofthelocomotive or sharp changes in the locomotive pull. Such an arrangement isshown in Fig. '2 showing the chassis 'of'a railroad car 19. AdrawbarBB is slidably supported o'n thechassi's with acou- -pling"l2 andcan freely movelongitudi-n-ally. The rear end of the drawbar is pivotally connected with a plunger in :a'hydraulic cylinder 83. The "outeruend'of the cylinder 8'3'is pivoted-to a stationary bracket 85 attached to: the 'chassis.

changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

- 1. In a vehicle having a chassis with wheels and a body movably supported on the chassis,

the combination-of a shock absorbing and stabi- .lizingdevice comprising a pair of hydraulic cylinders with pistons, each cylinder with its piston beinginterposed'between one side of the chassis and a corresponding side of the body; an accumulator for each cylinder, the lower portion of the accumulator being in communication with the cylinder under 'the piston and-arranged to contain'the excess of a liquid filling the-cylinder under the piston; means to *adm-it'a compressed elastic fluid into the accumulators for --moving 'the pistons outwards in the "cylinder thereby causing the-pistons to-support the weight: of the respective sides of thebody; and means"to concurved path. '2. In a vehicle havin a chassis-withWheels-afld a body movably supported-on the "chassis,'the

combination of a shock absorbing -an'dstabilizing device comprising a pair of hydraulic cylinders with pistons, each -cylindenwith'its piston being interposed between one'side of the *chassis and a-correspondingside of'the body; an-accumulator 'for each cylinder, the'lower portion ofthe accumulator being in=communication with "thecylinder under the piston and arranged to contain the excess of 'a liquid fillingw'the cylinder under the piston; valve,means-for'selectively admitting a compressed elastic fluid "in one :or "the "other accumulator for causing the-piston in thECOITB- sponding cylinder "to be moved 'outwards; and pendulum means responsive to the laterally acting centrifugal force produced by "the vehicle rounding a curve, the "pendulum means being operatively connected with 'the'yalve'me'ans "for causingthe body to beba-n'ked in opposition to the effect of the cent1'ifuga1.force.

CHARLES'H. DOLANJII.

REFERENCES CITED .The following references .areof record in .the file of this .patent:

"UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name a Date 1,376,480 Straw a May "3, .1921 2,093,486 Schoepf et a1 Sept. 21,1937 2,095,677 .schoepfiet a1. .Oct. 12, .1937 2,141,592 Clar 'et '81., Decw27, .1938 2,353,503 Rost et al'. July 11, .1944 

